I just noticed that they put cameras on big poles on the interstate in front of the I-10 bridge and at I-210? Who controls them, how much did they cost, who paid for them and why were they needed?

The cameras are part of the state’s “intelligent transportation system” project, which uses technology to increase highway efficiency and safety, said Deidra Druilhet, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation and Development.

The cost for this phase of the work totals $2.8 million — $2.5 million in federal money and $300,000 in state money — and includes the installation of dynamic message signs, fiber optic cable and closed-circuit television cameras “along a 23-mile stretch of I-10, La. 108 and La. 397,” Druilhet said.

“The installation of ITS in Lake Charles will join other regional traffic management centers (TMC) in New Orleans, Lafayette and Shreveport by connecting with a statewide Advanced Traffic Management and Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge for regional and statewide traffic/emergency operations,” she wrote in an email.

“The TMCs will work jointly to detect incidents, communicate information to motorists and improve traffic flow.”

According to a DOTD report compiled in 2011, officials planned the ITS work in the Lake Area to include five phases covering various durations of time.

Installation of dynamic message signs was phase one and was projected to take a year. The cameras are part of phase two, which was projected to last two to three years.

Phases three and four — the first to run four to five years, the second to run five — involve the installation of cameras, signs and vehicle detection systems along I-210 and on I-10 from Lake Charles to the Texas line.

Phase five, its duration projected at five years, involves automation of the drawbridge on La. 378 between Moss Bluff and Westlake.

The projected costs for each phase, according to the report:

One — $1.22 million to $1.62 million.

Two — $2.35 million to $2.99 million.

Three — $3.2 million to $4.7 million.

Four — $1.25 million to $2 million.

Five — $360,000 to $1 million.

The cost for all area ITS projects was put at $30 million to $38.5 million.

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Online: wwwsp.dotd.la.gov.

‘To sue’ doesn’t refer to lawsuit’s success

Can you file a discrimination lawsuit against the Calcasieu Parish School Board?

Yes.

You can sue — i.e., take legal action against — the School Board. But whether your lawsuit proves successful depends on the facts of the case.

For more information, contact an attorney.